Going to buy a mando

[AaronL]

I recently had my Deering Delux banjo stolen from me. I am not rich and it took me a year to pay for it. The thing is all of my friends play the banjo and guitar and I want to try the mandolin. The only problem is that I have no knowledge of the instrument. I prefer F style (for bluegrass?) I know you get what you pay for. With the banjo I paid for the tone ring and that is why the instrument cost $1500. I dont care about fancy inlays. I do not like imorts. So the two that I have been looking at are a Tacoma and a Kentucky. I can not spend over $650 and these two are in my price range. I see these Morgan Monro and Micheal Kelly Mandos all over ebay (junk?). What is a mando that I can buy in this price range where I will never have to buy another
again.
Six months till Walnut Valley Festival Winfield KS. $700 my tax return. Sooner the better. Any info would be great. Plus i wont have to hear any more banjo jokes!
Your Friend,
Aaron

[Greenmando]

I prefer F style (for bluegrass?) I know you get what you pay for.,,,.... I dont care about fancy inlays. I do not like imports. So the two that I have been looking at are a Tacoma and a Kentucky. I can not spend over $650 and these two are in my price range. I see these Morgan Monro and Micheal Kelly Mandos all over ebay (junk?). What is a mando that I can buy in this price range where I will never have to buy another again.
Hi Aaron
We might make the b**jo jokes, but a lot of us still play the b**jo.

You can get some good bluegrass mandolins in your price range if you forget about the scroll.

If you are really interested in mandolins, a mando in the $650 range will probably never satisfy your tastes. Not that you can find a decent mandolin for the money, but you will out grow it quickly.

In your price range and taste in music, I would look for a solid wood A style.

[John Zimm]

I have to agree, if you want nice sound look for an A-style. Many fine players have been known to play a-styles in concerts, and you will certainly get more sound for the money.

I have a Michael Kelly and I really enjoy it, but I played several before buying the one I did. I would never buy one from ebay because the tone quality will vary way too much. You really have to sit down with a mandolin for at least a half hour and play in order to get a feel for its qualities. If you could go just a couple hundred dollars more you will be in the territory where you can get a good a-style.

-John.

The Michael Kelly, Kentucky and Morgan Monroe are all imports so if that is important to you, avoid those brands. #

Just my opinion but I think if you sorted through all of the info on this board find that price is a rough indicator of quality but even more is an indicator of variation. #All mandolins will have unique characteristics and variation. #You can find low cost mandolins that sound great and high cost mandolins that don't sound as good. #But as a group you don't see as much variation in Gibson Master Models as you do in Michael Kelly Fireflies.

[fatt-dad]

Get a flatiron A5. They sound great, play great, made great, look great and should be in the $900 to $1300 range. Kentucky mandolins are imported from Japan, Korea or (now) China.

f-d

[johnwalser]

I have a Michael Kelly that plays and sounds as good as any of the dozens of expensive Gibsons, Webers and "high end" mandos I have played. I have it set up exactly right for my style of play and I made a one piece ebony bridge that has created the tone and improved sustain I like. All mandolins have their own sound and for every good MK, I'm sure you can find a bad one. Same goes for many of the high end "American made" instruments. Remember, practice and proper technique will improve the sound of any instrument.
John

[Tom C]

Tacomas are too guitar sounding.

"I have a Michael Kelly that plays and sounds as good as any of the dozens of expensive Gibsons, Webers and "high end" mandos I have played."
... http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[Dennis Gordon]

I must respectfully diasgree that Tacomas are too guitar sounding. It's true that the first M1 I played at GC lacked bite, but the M2 that I bought used off of Ebay for under $275 and restrung with some generic 12s sounds fabulous. Nice radiused neck. Plays nice and is loud enough. If you don't mind its unconventional design and set it up right, the Tacomas are a pretty good deal.

[Dennis Gordon]

Ummm... I meant radiused "fretboard"

[AaronL]

Thank you all for the help! I will just have to sit down with one. With someone who can play one. I know I sure cant.
Thanks again!
AaronL

[BenE]

AaronL
Don't let the fact that you can't afford a $1000+ instrument keep you from playing a mandolin. Lots of us started with mandolins costing much less. Spend your money wisely and buy the best you can afford. When the finances allow you can always upgrade. The important thing is you will be learning to play!

[August Watters]

One of the biggest design differences that makes a mandolin sound like a bluegrass instrument is having a solid wood carved top. The Tacomas (like Mid-Missouris, also in your price range) are flat-top instruments, built similar to a flat-top guitar -- which is why they lack the pointed, percussive sound that bluegrass players like. They may sound great for other styles of music (they're often preferred for Celtic), but most players on this list would tell you to stay away from a flat-top mandolin if you're looking for a bluegrass sound.

Problem is, in your price range, the only carved-top instruments will likely be Asian imports. If you don't want to go that direction, you might be able to find a beginning luthier who's willing to sell off their early experiments in your price range. They'd just be covering their own costs, but some builders have gotten good results early in their careers -- if they did their homework.

One of the best-sounding bluegrass mandolins I've ever heard was a 30s-era Gibson A5 -- a friend got it for $800. You might find a Flatiron in that price range, or maybe a few other possibilities.

If you want an all-US built mandolin, you might have a hard time finding one -- I could name several prominent US mando makers who use at least some imported parts. "Buying Local" isn't as easy as you think. . . .

August

[JiminRussia]

I'm going to semi-disagree with August about the flat tops. When I say "semi" I mean that he is right for many of the flat tops out there. I just now came into possesion of a pre-Gibson Flatiron flat top that has a wonderful sound to it and I got it for a lot less than $700.00. It isn't by any means as deep and resonant as my F style Newson, but it does have a bright sound that is not in anyway tinny or thin. If you played the banjo for any time at all, you are very familiar with tinkering with the various parts to get the right sound out of your instrument. I too am a recovering banjo player. Strings, nut material, bridge material and style, tailpiece material and design, string heighth, fret size, laquer Vs. varnish finish, X bracing Vs. tone bars all stir up a lot of discussion on this board. much of it is quite probably personal conviction with little known science or experimentation done to back it up. But then again, there are others on this forum that have done a lifetime of work with the mandolin and can give sound (if you'll pardon the pun) advice on what may make your instrument work or sound beter/easier/faster/louder/whatever. The only way hat you'll know or sure though is to actually play a bunch of them and then it will happen. You will find one that sings to YOU. It may cost $400.00 or it may cost $5,000.00, but you will buy it. Then you will tinker with it until you either fall for another beauty or just get tired of screwing with the thing and upgrade. That is the onset of MAS. Good luck.
But just think of this. If you are starting out on he mandolin, how much mandolin do you really need? Sure it would be great to have a professional quality instrument to learn on, but how long will it be before you can play better than that $800.00 Michael Kelly or Morgan Monroe or old Flatiron is capable of?

[zilla the hon]

I am a new mandolin player, and I just got a $650 MK. I can't play, so it sounds like a $50 instrument. But, heck! It's fun! Learning to read music, making that dull buzzing sound a lot. My finger tips hurt. One started to bleed after I scratched it on the string end. Had to wipe it off quickly in between notes. Some day I expect the MK to sound like a $300 instrument. Then it will be time to sell it on E-bay and get a $1500 instrument.

[mandoaz]

[Lots of us started with mandolins costing much less.]

My first mando was a $200 Epiphone with no truss rod...But ya know, I still have fond memories of that piece of lumber because though playing it, I realized that the mandolin was an instrument that spoke to me...

That being said, however, I do think it's important to at least get an instrument with some decent qualities (i.e. will at least stay in tune and has reasonable intonation all the way up the fretboard)...That way your not fighting an uphill battle in terms of overcoming the instrument's limitations while trying to learn/improve your skills.

I know you said you're not really all about imports, but I've got a Goldtone GM300 which I think sounds pretty darn good for the price (which is definitely in your range). Not to mention it has a scroll...(Nothing against A styles mind you, but I guess I lean towards the scroll side of the sprawling debate on this board...)

Ahem...also, I do believe Goldtone is primarily a b**jo maker so maybe that would help to ease the transition http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[AaronL]

mandoaz, funny you say Gold Tone. I bought my first banjo from Mountain Music Shoppe in KC. The Cripple Creek with the tone ring. Then went to A Deering. Well I have taken all of your advice and want to know the difference between An f style and an A style. I saw Sam Bush with Bela a two years ago and he was playing an F style Gibson. What is the standard for blue grass, model wise. Flat top, arch top? Dont know the difference in sound. Flat top A and arch F? Most bluegrass mandolins I see are F. I know I could research this info online but i dont trust everything I read online, but it sounds like you all know what you are talking about. Sorry to bother you with newbe questions, but I want to do this right and have decided to wait until I get the money to by a mandolin that I will not have to replace.
Thanks again for all your help.
AaronL

saw a cool bluegrass band last week from Tulsa
http://www.getdanked.com

[fatt-dad]

If you want to learn the mandolin, buy a used $200 to $300 Kentucky, Ibanez or Aria with solid wood and have at it. I really agree about the pre-Gibson Flatiron "pancake" as a great sounding flat-top mandolin. But for pretty good sound and lower cost, I think the Asian imports are quite good.

My first mandolin was a Kay (it stunk), but my second was an Aria Pro II (PM-780) F-5 knockoff. I still have it decades later. It cost $150 at the time and is probable in the $700 range now. The point that I make is that at the time, my Kay was worth $0.00 and if I had it today, may be worth $0.50. Having a solid wood mandolin that you care for and play will get you started and be relatively easy to sell off when you want to upgrade (providing you find it possible to sell a mandolin - ha).

f-d

[mandoaz]

I love bluegrass but don't play it per se (trust me if any dyed-in-the-wool bluegrass fan heard my mando style, they would call it 40 other things before even mentioning bluegrass). But (and I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm speaking inaccuratley), I believe the "standard" as you say for bluegrass is a arch-top F-style...Not saying A-styles aren't used in bluegrass, but.......I'll just trail off here and let my fellow Cafe brethren take it from here.................

[fatt-dad]

An arch-top A-5 can hang right in there too. I sat down with my teacher and his son last week and my Flatiron A5 made quite an impression against a custom F5. For a beginner, a Kentucky KM-250S (less than $300.00) would serve you nicely. About the only press you will see on the message board is that the ones currently made in China may not be as good as the earlier ones from Japan or Korea. I do not know about that, but certainly like the one I have from Japan.

One thing about the A-style mandolins is that some are joined at the 12th fret of the neck and others at the 14th fret of the neck. The ones at 14 frets give the bluegrass guys more real estate and are typically more suited for bluegrass. The 12 fret mandolins seem to be more used for fiddle tunes/folk/celtic music.